A Happy Ending
by Kate811
Summary: .."You never know," CC said smugly, "My answer may surprise you..." BOY DID IT EVER! A different take on the Whine Cellar Episode of The Nanny.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of these wonderful characters or this wonderful show. Believe me, I wish I did! I would love feedback for this story; it's my first Nanny fic so I'm a little nervous! :)_

**A Happy Ending**

By

Kate

Imagine hell: a torturous place designed to inflict agony and suffering on those unfortunate enough to be trapped there for all eternity. The flames surround you, there's nowhere to escape to, and Satan makes it his personal mission to make your life, for lack of a better phrase, a living hell.

This stereotypical version of hell seemed like paradise to CC Babcock, for the hell she was experiencing was far worse and far more agonizing. Sure, there was no fire, just cold, damp air and stone walls. There would be an escape eventually, when someone decided to let her out. And naturally, there was no Satan, just Nanny Fine talking CC's ear off about something completely idiotic.

CC and Fran were stuck in the Sheffield wine cellar. It had already been a few hours since the two were trapped together, and CC was almost completely convinced that no one would ever find her, and that this confinement would finally be her undoing.

She could deal with a lot of things. She could deal with creepy backers trying to grope her while Maxwell had his back turned. She could deal with walking into the Sheffield mansion and hearing the children screaming and fighting before she even had her first cup of coffee. She could even deal with going to the Sheffield kitchen for some of her emergency hidden stash of chocolate chip cookies, only to find Sylvia happily shoveling them down her throat. However, being stuck listening to Nanny Fine babble on about the parallels between Funny Girl and Funny Lady was the last straw for CC.

"…So anyway, when I was a little girl, Ma would put a white pillow case on my head and dance me around to Sadie, Sadie, Married Lady. I think she was hoping it was some magical voodoo that would get me married off to some rich guy by the time I was 25 … whew, luckily I still got another year and a half left to fulfill THAT wish!"

CC rolled her eyes at Fran, took another long swig of her nearly empty bottle of wine, and recited the same thing she'd been saying quietly to herself for the last half hour: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…"

"Oy will ya quit sayin that! And would ya stop guzzling down that bottle. I'd hate to have to take care of your drunken tuchkas!"

"Well, you know what they say," CC slurred, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" And with that, she tossed a bottle of wine to Fran.

"Oooh no, there is NO way I'm joining you on this. I'm not really a fan of what the stuff does to me. I never really saw the point in drinking anyway, I mean, why would I need to?"

"Nanny Fine. You're over thirty and single."

Fran pondered this for a moment, frowned, popped the cork off her bottle, and started chugging.

Twenty minutes later, the two were on their way to being totally, as Fran called it, shnockered, with CC on the floor leaning against a wall and Fran standing on a stool attempting to do what looked like a cross between the Macarena and The Chicken Dance.

CC looked up at Fran. "Fran I'm booooredddd."

"Well pull up a chair and dance with me!" Fran squealed.

"I can't, the floor's too comfy!" And with that, the two burst out into hysterical laughter, as if CC had just said the funniest thing in the world.

"Oh boy," Fran said as she plopped down next to CC, "what are we gonna dooooooo?"

A light bulb went off in CC's cloudy, alcohol-soaked mind. "I've got it! Let's go back to what we were doing earlier!"

"Ohhh no! Not again!" Fran said as she shook her head a little too hard and toppled over to the side, her forehead landing smack-dab on CC's shoulder.

CC nudged Fran off of her and looked at her with big, pleading, puppy-dog eyes. "Pweeease Franny! We were having so much fun earlier! Remember, it's what got you up on that chair dancing!

Fran rolled her eyes, "Yeah, but that was the only high point of the whole game."

"Frannnnn why won't you play truth or dare?"

"Because all your truths are so boring!" Fran moaned.

"Come on…" CC tried egging Fran on.

"No!" Fran said, putting her foot down.

CC may have been drunk, but she was not stupid. She knew she had an offer Fran could not refuse: "I'll let you do my makeup."

It was music to Fran's ears. "Okay!"

"Okie dokie! Ask me!" CC sat down in the chair while Fran got her makeup supplies ready.

Fran asked the magic question, "Truth, or dare?"

Realizing that they had all ready done pretty much all the dares one could possibly dream up while being drunk and trapped in a wine cellar, (if the broken wine bottles that Fran tried to juggle and CC tried to balance on her nose like a seal were any indication) CC made the logical choice, "I pick… truth."

"Okay, if you could spend the night with anyone, who would it be? We both know, game's over, suck in your cheeks!" Fran said knowingly, not even really paying attention to CC, or to the ridiculous make-up she was drunkenly applying to CC's face.

"You never know," CC said smugly, "my answer may surprise you…"

"All right, spill." Fran knew without a doubt CC's answer was going to be their boss. Maxwell Sheffield had been the object of CC's affection long before Fran had gotten the job as the nanny, and it was obvious to blind and deaf people living on different hemispheres that CC had her eye on the handsome millionaire producer.

"It's… NILES!" CC stood up and threw her arms in the air, as if she was saying "Tada!"

"Get out of town." Fran still wasn't listening, when finally the realization of CC's declaration permeated into her mind, knocked the wind out of her, and shocked her into dropping her makeup supplies onto the cold, concrete floor.

There was a loud clatter as the makeup hit the floor, followed by complete silence. Fran leaned on the stool that was previously occupied by CC and tried to catch her breath while CC still held her arms high in the air, beaming like a model in a toothpaste ad.

When Fran finally had enough air in her lungs, she practically bellowed, "WHATTTTTTT?!"

CC dropped her arms and turned to look at Fran, a confused expression worn on her face, "What? What's the big deal over wanting to spend the night with Maxwell?"

"Yeah, that wouldn't be a big deal AT ALL. In fact, I wouldn't have even looked up from what I was doing because of what a big deal it wouldn't have been, except for the small fact that YOU SAID NILES!" Fran still looked like she had seen a ghost, and she quickly grabbed for the closest bottle of wine and began chugging.

CC froze like a deer caught in headlights.

"I said… what?" She practically whispered.

"Ni-yuls." Fran carefully enunciated both syllables of his name.

"Niles?! NILES?! There is no way I said that lowlife, Alice Brady-wannabe instead of Maxwell."

"First of all, you did in fact say Niles. Second of all, Alice Brady?" Fran asked confusedly.

"You know, Alice Brady, the annoying housekeeper on The Brady Bunch!" CC said, as if Fran should have already known that.

Fran rolled her eyes and lightly smacked CC on the back of her head. "No no no! Alice wasn't a Brady! Her last name was Nelson. She wasn't related to the Brady's and she was NOT annoying. She was helpful and kept the house in line and was fun and perky and wanted to get married and worked in her boyfriends bridal shop and got dumped and fired…Drifting! I'm drifting! Anyway, the point is, YOU LIKE NILES!"

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

The two glared at each other for a while before CC backed off and sank down against a wall and Fran did the same against the wall across from her. CC opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, but then abruptly closed it. She did this again multiple times and then put her face into her hands. When Fran noticed her shaking she quickly got up, picked up a new bottle for CC, sat down next to her and handed her the bottle. It was only when CC looked up to take the bottle that Fran realized CC wasn't crying, and was actually laughing quite hysterically.

"Miss Babcock? What's so funny?"

When her laughter finally subsided and the tears stopped rolling down her face, CC opened the new wine bottle and took a very long chug. Fran looked on in awe as CC downed a good portion of the bottle in record timing.

CC chuckled. "It figures. I've spent years and thousands of dollars in therapy denying any sort of emotional attachment to that lousy butler. One night of drunken confinement with you and all of a sudden it's like somebody slipped me some sodium pentothal. Unless…" A thought suddenly occurred to CC and she whipped her head in Fran's direction.

Fran cut her off before she could say anything else. "Yeah right, who would trust a Fine with Truth Serum? We're lucky they even let us buy cough syrup! Oy! I tell ya, one mistake at my cousin Ira's prom with the punch bowl, and all of a sudden we're banned from Robitussin at every drug store within a twenty mile radius of Flushing!"

Fran glanced at CC, whose wine bottle was now completely empty. CC sighed.

"Any chance you're not going to remember this tomorrow?"

Fran shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I've got the memory of a steel elephant!"

CC burst out laughing. "That's not how it goes!"

Fran joined in her laughter. "Well how's it go then?!"

"…Uhh, well, I don't remember now actually. Wait what were we talking about?" CC yawned and began sliding down the wall, until she was lying on the floor using her rolled up jacket as a pillow.

"How I've got the memory of a …um, metal animal, or something." Fran laid down next to CC and let out a big yawn as well.

The wine finally caught up with them, knocking them out into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where the hell am I?" CC moaned as she looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings she was in.

She tried to sit up, but the throbbing waves of a hangover hit her hard, and she sank back down on the bed and tried to rub the pain away.

Eyes barely open, CC look around the room she was in and tried to place where she was. The deep mahogany furnishings and the plush, burgundy bedding hit a note of recognition in her mind, and she realized she was in one of the Sheffield guest rooms.

Without warning, the door burst open, revealing a very hung-over Fran clutching an icepack to her head. The loud crash of the door hitting the wall vibrated through CC's head, intensifying her headache by millions. CC threw a pillow over her head and groaned loudly. Fran plopped down next to CC and mirrored her by throwing a pillow over her head and groaning loudly as well.

Finally getting her bearings, CC sat up and lifted the pillow off of Fran's face.

"How the hell did we end up here?"

Fran sat up, removed a couple aspirin from her pocket, and handed a few to CC who swallowed them without the aid of water.

"Ugh, I honestly have no idea. I don't remember a thing from last night!" Fran whined as she rubbed furiously at her head, trying to alleviate some of the pain.

Suddenly the intercom beeped, and Maxwell's voice was heard.

"Rise and shine ladies! Breakfast is ready!"

Rolling her eyes at Maxwell's obnoxious cheerfulness, CC yelled, "No way, I'm staying in bed till tomorrow. Sorry Maxwell, you're running the business yourself today! I am not coming downstairs!"

"I've got coffee!" Maxwell singsonged.

"We'll be right there."

Following quick showers to freshen up, CC and Fran made their way downstairs to the Sheffield dining room: CC, in one of the white, terrycloth guest bathrobes that were there for the convenience of Sheffield guests, and Fran, in a lime green bathrobe that made CC's hangover hurt worse.

"Ah, good morning ladies!" Maxwell greeted warmly.

"Agh, morning." CC and Fran mumbled.

Once the coffee was poured and bagels were half eaten, Fran and CC were starting to feel a little more human and a little less like they were run over by a truck.

"Mr. Sheffield, how did we get out of the cellar? The lock broke from the inside last night and I thought we ended up sleeping down there…"

"Oh no," Maxwell interjected, "After your mother's party finally ended, I sent Niles down to the cellar with the wine that no one drank. There was surprisingly a lot leftover. No food left though…"

"Yeah well, that's us Fines for ya!" Fran laughed so hard that an echo could be heard throughout the mansion,

CC downed the rest of her coffee and rubbed her throbbing temples. "Ugh, more coffee. Pronto."

"Right. I'll get Niles to fetch you some. NILES!" Maxwell bellowed, causing CC to cringe and rest her head in her arms on the dining room table.

Niles entered carrying a steaming pot of coffee. He topped off everyone's mugs and then glanced at CC.

"Sir, I really wish you would give me some notice as to when you're going to take in Betty Ford rejects. Now I've got to go put away the brandy!"

CC was about to retort when suddenly Maxwell got her attention.

"Miss Fine! What's the matter?! You look as if you've seen a ghost!"

CC's head snapped up from its place in her arms and she made eye contact with Fran for a second, and then Fran's eyes darted quickly to Niles, and back to CC, and back to Niles, and once again, back to CC …

"OH MY GAWD. I REMEMBER! YOU LO---" Fran was about to broadcast CC's secret to the world, when CC flung herself across the table and covered Fran's mouth with her hand.

"---I _LOCKED_ my purse in the wine cellar! Very good, Nanny Fine! I realized this morning when I woke up that my purse must still be down in the cellar. I'll get it after breakfast. No rush!" CC was quick to come up with something, _anything_ that would cover for Fran's exclamation.

CC let go of the hold she had on Fran's mouth. "Uh, yeah … right," Fran responded, "Your purse. You better get it soon though. I wouldn't want to make anymore sudden outbursts like that…" Fran winked deviously at CC and CC gulped.

"Uhhh you know what, I'm still feeling a little nauseous from last night. I think I might just go take a nap. Maxwell you can handle business for the rest of the morning right?" Max nodded rather confusedly, all the while wondering why the two women in his life were behaving so outrageously. "Good," CC responded, "Fran? You're coming with me right? I know how us women like to do things in pairs!"

"Ohh I don't know!" Fran said smugly whilst eyeing Niles who was busy clearing dishes from the table, "I might just stick around here for a little bit and, you know, tell the guys here about what a fun night we had!"

CC was not about to back down, especially to Fran, "Nanny Fine," she growled through clenched teeth, "I insist you come with me. Now."

The fear-inducing glare in CC's eyes quickly changed Fran's mind.

"Right behind ya, boss!"

And with that, the two made a mad dash upstairs back to the guestroom.

"Oh my gawd!" Fran exclaimed as soon as the door to the guestroom was shut, "You LOVE Niles!"

"No! No no no! Not once last night did I mention anything about loving Niles!" CC crossed her arms and glared at Fran.

"Be that as it may…" Fran said, and then scratched her head, "Gee ya know, I didn't even know I knew that phrase! Anyway, you still said that if you could spend the night with ANYONE, it would be with Niles."

"So?" CC asked, sounding very much like a petulant child.

"So, if you could spend the night with anyone in the world, Mista Sheffield, Johnny Depp, George freakin' Clooney! …you would pick Niles."

"To be fair, we never specified that celebrities counted in this little game." CC dodged Fran's accusations.

"Eh, a minor, insignificant detail. Not important. The fact of the matter is that Niles was the first person who popped into your head when you had to think of sleeping with someone!"

"Well, I mean, I was drunk! I didn't know what I was saying! For all we know I could have meant Niles from Fraiser!" CC knew Fran was backing her into a corner so she began grasping at straws.

And Fran was not buying it. Not even a little bit.

"Yeah, okay and when I say I wanna spend the night with George, I mean Jetson, not Clooney."

"Did you seriously just compare Toilet Brush to George Clooney?" CC deadpanned.

"Hey, you're the one that wants to sleep with 'Toilet Brush,' not me!" Fran countered.

"Why don't you want to sleep with Niles?" CC asked, throwing Fran off guard.

"What?" Fran asked surprised.

"I mean, what's so wrong with Niles that you wouldn't want to sleep with him?"

"Well, I mean, there's the whole "We're Best Friends" factor, but also…," Fran trailed off.

"Also what?" CC asked a little nervously.

"He's just not my type." Fran finished simply.

"NOT YOUR TYPE?!" CC bellowed angrily, "HOW CAN HE NOT BE YOUR TYPE?!"

Sensing she was about to make a breakthrough with CC, Fran decided to try something.

"Well, I don't know … I've always been more into the 'Tall, Dark, and Handsome' type, and Niles just doesn't fit that profile."

"Well, Niles may not fit the 'Tall, Dark, and Handsome' stereotype, which by the way I think is seriously overrated, but he fits into a unique category of his own. He's got dark blonde hair that just beckons to run fingers through and a smile that lights up even the dreariest of rooms. And he's got these deep, blue eyes that constantly convey his feelings: a dark, stormy blue when he's angry or annoyed, and a serene, light blue when he's happy. And then there's this gleam he gets in his eyes when we're bantering that just makes me…" CC sighed and stared off into space, completely forgetting Fran was there.

"That just makes you want to throw yourself into his arms and confess your undying love for him?" Fran interrupted CC's thoughts, snapping her out of her daydreams of Niles.

"Oh for the love of God, I do NOT love Niles!" CC scowled. "I don't even LIKE Niles! For crying out loud the sight of Niles makes me want to hurl!"

"If that were true, you wouldn't think his smile lights up 'the dreariest of rooms' and you certainly wouldn't be paying any attention to his 'deep, blue eyes."' Fran said knowingly.

There was a long silence, with Fran staring smugly at CC knowing she had her trapped, and CC avoiding eye contact as she frantically tried to think of a way out of this one.

Finally, CC sighed. Knowing she was defeated but far from backing down, she decided to give in just a little. "Okay, so what if I want to sleep with Niles! That doesn't mean anything. Every socialite sometimes fantasizes about slumming it for a bit with the hired help!"

"I'm not an idiot, Miss Babcock. You and I both know that's not the case with you and Niles."

CC sank down onto the bed suddenly looking very shocked.

"Miss Babcock, what's the matter?" Fran asked concerned about the state of the woman.

"Oh, my God. I love Niles." CC said, as if the fact was news to her.

"That's what I'm saying!" Fran exclaimed.

"It all makes sense now … the bickering, the seeking him out to argue, the pranks…" CC rattled off.

"Uh yeah, but what about how he's constantly on your mind, and how you fantasize about him, and how you think he's amazing and all that stuff?"

"Yeah … that, too … but, wow … I love Niles. I really love him. Holy crap! I'm in love with Niles!"

Fran spun around and squealed. "Oh this is so great! When are you gonna tell him? Oh my gosh! What are you gonna WEAR when you tell him? How are you gonna tell him? Can I pick out your outfit when you tell him?!"

CC snapped out of her initial shock and stood up quickly. "Woah woah woah woah woah! There is no way I am telling Niles anything! Nope, no way."

Fran looked like CC had purposely run over her puppy. "What? Why not?"

"Uhh, hello?! This is Niles we're talking about! There's no way he'd believe me. He'd think I was playing some sort of sick joke on him! And besides, he doesn't feel the same way, so I'd just look like an idiot!

"You don't know that he doesn't feel the same way though!" Fran countered.

"Well he obviously doesn't because he hasn't made a move or anything!" CC said exasperatedly.

"Well, maybe he hasn't realized he has feelings for you yet. You yourself just figured it out, missy! Maybe with a little prodding I can get it out of him…"

"No! Nanny Fine! You can't say a word to him! You can't say a word to _anyone_!"

Sensing a threatening tone in CC's voice, Fran decided to listen. "Fine. Not a word. To anyone. It just seems so unfair though. This is just like the end of The Way We Were, when Barbra and Robert Redford part ways…" Fran dabbed at her now watery eyes, "I'm sorry, it just gets me every time!"

CC ignored Fran's tears, grabbed the woman by her shoulders, and shook her. "Pull yourself together, Nanny Fine! Look, I'm going to go downstairs and do some work. Remember, not a word to ANYONE!"

She gave Fran one more menacing glare before leaving the room.

Fran plopped down on the bed and sighed and began to think.

'_Ugh, this is so unfair. What if they belong together?! What if she's missing out on the love of a lifetime?! What can I do though? She made me swear not to tell anyone…'_

Suddenly, a light bulb flickered on in Fran's mind.

'_By George, I've got it! True, I can't tell anyone that she loves Niles. But that doesn't mean I can't get her to admit it to him! Yeah, that's it! I'll get her to tell him! Oh this is so great! I'll never have to wonder what might have been, the way I have to when I think about Barbra and Robert in The Way We Were…'_

She stood up triumphantly and shouted "As God as my witness, I will never have to watch a non-happy ending unfold again!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Miss Fine, you're looking practically ecstatic! What's going on?" Niles proclaimed as he walked into the kitchen and saw Fran giddily eating an ice cream sundae.

"Oh, uh, I'm just really happy with my ice cream, that's all." Fran answered, but she couldn't help but grin seeing Niles and thinking about her plan.

"Oh, okay." Niles replied without thinking twice. "I take it you're feeling better than you were this morning?"

"Much better. I don't think Miss Babcock bounces back as quickly as I do though. Poor thing. Speaking of Miss Babcock! Could you go down to the wine cellar and grab her purse for her? I'd go get it for her, but after being locked down there, that place kind of freaks me out."

"Why can't Miss Babcock go down and get it herself?" Niles asked confusedly.

"Oh come on Niles. The poor woman has been trapped in the office all day doing paperwork for Mr. Sheffield, even though she's hungover. Anything we can do to make her day a little easier, well, we should do! Please, Niles! She's probably scarred for life from that wine cellar, like I am." To finish off her plea, she gave him her best pout combined with her puppy dog eyes that she knew no one could refuse.

Niles sighed. "Alright. I'll go get it."

He made his way down into the cellar.

"Thank you Niles! You're the best!" Fran hollered down to him.

Then she danced over to the cabinets, pulled CC's purse out from her robe, and placed it in one of the cabinets.

"Piece of cake!" She exclaimed.

"What's a piece of cake?" CC asked as she entered the kitchen.

"Uhhh," Fran froze like a deer caught in headlights, "I was just … saying … how I could go for a piece of cake!"

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm gonna head out." CC said tiredly.

It took all of Fran's self control not to jump up and down and clap excitedly. "Alright, just don't forget your purse. I think it's still down in the cellar." She said convincingly.

"Um, about that…" CC hesitated.

"What? What's wrong?" Fran asked worriedly, knowing she had only a few more minutes until Niles gave up looking for the purse.

"It's just…I don't want to go down there alone to get it. After last night I never want to go down there again. Please Nanny Fine, will you go with me?"

"Oh uh, sure. Sure!" Fran said leading CC to the wine cellar.

"Thank you, Nanny Fine. Gosh I don't even remember where I put that damn purse. Do you have any idea where I--" Suddenly Fran shoved CC off the bottom step, ran up the steps, flicked a light on, and quickly got out of the cellar and shut the door.

Confused, CC rushed up to the top of the stairs and noticed that the door handle had not yet been replaced, meaning she was, once again, trapped in the wine cellar.

"NANNY FINE! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! I DEMAND YOU LET ME OUT OF HERE IMMEDIATELY!" CC screamed and pounded on the door furiously.

Hearing CC's screams, Niles rushed out from the back of the wine cellar.

"Miss Babcock! What on earth are you yelling about?"

"Niles?" CC asked confusedly. "What the hell are you doing down here?!"

"What the hell am_ I_ doing down here?! What the hell are _you_ doing down here?! Miss Fine sent me down here to get your purse because she said you were too scarred from last night to ever set foot down here again!" Niles said exasperatedly.

"She said that? But when I went into the kitchen she reminded me I left my purse down here and even walked down with me to get it! Why would she…" CC trailed off as it hit her just exactly what Fran was up to.

"Oh! Oh, this is rich. Just freakin' rich." CC mumbled as she took in her surroundings.

True, she was in the same dreary Sheffield wine cellar, only this time the place was lit up by white lights that were strung across all the wine shelves, and rose petals were scattered all over the stone floor. In one corner there was a table covered in a white table cloth, and on top of the table were two wine glasses, a walky-talky, and an envelope addressed to CC.

She stomped over to the table, tore open the envelope, and read Fran's letter:

_Miss Babcock – _

_In my defense you just said I couldn't tell anybody, so I didn't technically break any rules! Please don't kill me! I just kept thinking about happy endings, and you two deserve one! I'll turn my walky-talky on in a few hours and check in on you. To quote the great song collaboration of Miss Streisand and Celine Dion: "TELL HIM!"_

_Love,_

_Fran_

_PS – PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!_

"Miss Babcock? What's going on? What is all this?" Niles asked as he, too, took in his surroundings.

_Quick, CC, think of something!_ "Uhh .. Fran…set this up for Sylvia and Morty…because she felt so bad for missing the entire party last night!"

"Oh," Niles nodded. "So why were you down here screaming and banging on the door like a deranged woman?"

_Geez what's with all the questions! Who does he think he is? Barbara Walters? _"Uh, Fran ran upstairs because she realized she forgot something, but she shut the door and now we're stuck down here."

"Oh, great." Niles grumbled sarcastically. "She'll be right back down though, won't she?"

"I'm afraid not. Uh what happened was … the door handle not only broke off on this side of the room, but also on the other side as well. And Mr. Sheffield's gone out to some backer meeting and won't be back till late tonight, and since it's so late there's no way a repairman will come out to the house now to fix it." CC finished, proud that she was able to come up with an excuse for why Fran wouldn't be coming back any time soon.

"Oh, that must have broken off at some point today, since last night when Mr. Sheffield and I came down and found you it was still intact." Niles surmised.

"Yeah, that's it." CC said, relieved that Niles seemed to be buying her story.

"Well, the only way I'm going to keep my sanity being stuck in here with you is to get very drunk, care to join me?" Niles asked as he poured himself a glass of wine.

Remembering that getting drunk was precisely what got her into this situation, CC shook her head. "No thanks … uh, I'm still feeling a little under the weather from last night."

"Wow, CC Babcock turning down free alcohol! Must be a sign of the apocalypse!" Niles proclaimed as he set down his wine glass without touching it.

CC rolled her eyes. "Oh, can it, Benson! Thought you were going to get very drunk. Why aren't you drinking?" She asked curiously.

"I'm not you. I can't just sit around and drink by myself. I'm not that pathetic."

"Really? You wash Maxwell's pants for a living. I'd say you're pretty pathetic."

"Really? You're constantly wishing you were IN Mr. Sheffield's pants. I'd say you win the pathetic award."

"Ha, shows how much you don't know." CC muttered to herself.

"What was that?" Niles asked.

"Oh, nothing!" CC quickly covered up.

"Oh. Okay. Well, if we're stuck down here for the night and you won't drink with me, I guess I'll attempt to sleep." Niles said as he tried to get into a comfortable position on the hard floor.

"Ugh. Good luck. I doubt my neck will ever feel normal again after sleeping on that." CC said as she rubbed her neck.

"You seemed quite content sleeping on the floor when we discovered you and Miss Fine last night. I all but had to pry you off the floor to carry you upstairs."

"You? You're the one who brought me upstairs?" CC asked with a glimmer of hope in her voice. _Maybe Niles cares more than I think he does!_

"Please, like Mr. Sheffield could lift you! I suggested calling for a fork lift, but then I realized what a pain it'd be to get the track marks out of the carpet. So I lifted you myself."

_Or not_, CC thought glumly. "Ugh you know what, I'm going to the other side of the cellar to sleep. It's bad enough I'm trapped in here with you, but the sound of your voice is enough to make my head explode. Goodnight."

With that, she stormed off, not noticing that Fran's letter fell out of her pocket and landed at Niles' feet.

"Hmm … what have we got here?" Niles said to himself as he opened the letter.

'_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_' CC thought to herself as she stomped around over on her side of the wine cellar. '_I'm such an idiot! I can't even be mad at Niles; I expect this kind of behavior from him! I'm the moron who let herself be talked into believing in dumb romantic notions by Nanny Fine!_'

Frustrated, she sank down onto the floor, curled her knees up, and rested her head in her hands.

"What the hell is this?" Niles asked with a menacing glare fixed on his face.

She didn't hear him approach, and that coupled with the low tone of Niles' angry voice startled CC.

"What the hell is what?" She asked confusedly as she stood up in front of Niles.

He waved his hand in the air, and in it was clenched Fran's letter.

CC paled and her eyes grew wide. "Oh … that. That's just something Fran did to …"

"This is sick and pathetic, Miss Babcock. You are seriously deluded if you thought this would work. And bringing Nanny Fine, of all people, into your stupid plan. I can't even believe you would do something like this."

Her eyes filled with tears. "You really feel that way about me?" She whispered quietly.

"Your damn right I do. What the hell were you thinking? Trying to get your "happily ever after" with Mr. Sheffield? And convincing Fran that you and he belong together? Truly awful. You know very well that he and Miss Fine have feelings for one another and yet somehow you convinced Miss Fine otherwise, so much in fact that she set this whole ridiculous thing up. Only it looks like your plan backfired, Miss Babcock, because Mr. Sheffield's not here, is he? Oh no that's right, I am! I'm stuck down here with you until tomorrow probably, all because you are a delusional fool."

"Excuse me? I'll have you know I didn't ask for this. I didn't tell Nanny Fine to do any of this!" She wiped away her tears and suddenly the sadness in her eyes was replaced with fury. "And just so you know, Fran wasn't doing this to set me and Maxwell up. She was doing it to set me and you up!" She turned and fled to the other side of the wine cellar.

Niles went after her. "You expect me to believe that?" He yelled.

"I don't care what the hell you believe anymore, Niles. That's the truth." She yelled back, still walking away from him.

"Why the hell would Fran want to set us up?" Niles asked, his anger turning into sheer confusion.

Finally having enough, CC turned around and faced Niles, not realizing that he was standing right behind her. The two stood nose to nose. CC's anger was replaced with nervousness and desire.

"She wanted to set us up because … because … oh the hell with it!" She threw her arms around him and kissed him with all the passion built up inside her.

Shocked, at first Niles just stood there; however, he quickly melted into CC and returned the kiss with equal passion. For minutes the two stood in the wine cellar tasting each other as their tongues danced together and their hands explored one another. Finally CC pulled away.

"Miss Babcock?" Niles asked confusedly.

"I don't want Maxwell, Niles. I want you. Last night I drunkenly admitted to Nanny Fine that I'm attracted to you and then today she got me to admit that I love you and now she's done all this and I'm probably going to kill her but that's not the point. The point is I love you, you idiot. And if you think for one lousy second that I'm going to let you get away from me after all the crap I've had to deal with for the past two days, being stuck down here with Linda Richman---"

Niles pulled her tightly back into his arms and once again their lips crashed together, cutting CC off.

As quickly as the kiss started, CC ended it. "Niles? I don't understand …"

"I love you too, you crazy woman! And I'm very grateful for the crap you've had to deal with for the past two days as it's gotten us here!" He said ecstatically as he picked her up and swung her around.

CC laughed. "Hey wait I thought you needed a forklift to pick me up?" She muttered sarcastically.

The two shared a laugh and soon their lips met again, Niles still holding her in his arms.

"Miss Babcock? Miss Babcock do you read me?" Fran said into the walky-talky for the fourth time in a half hour.

'_Oy, what if they killed each other? I just know everyone would find a way to blame me for it!' _Fran thought to herself.

She quickly opened the door and braced herself for the horror that she was sure she was going to face.

The fear evident in her eyes was soon replaced with tears of joy as she took in the scene before her. CC was still held in Niles arms and the two were still interlocked in a passionate embrace. It was clear they were the only people in the world to each other at that moment, so Fran quietly backed out and shut the door.

As soon as the door was shut Fran leaped into the air and danced her way back to the kitchen.

She was still dancing when Maxwell entered the kitchen.

"Miss Fine, what on earth are you doing?"

"Oh Mr. Sheffield! I just love a happy ending!" Fran rejoiced as she gave Maxwell a big hug.

Then she noticed the confused look on Maxwell's face. "Oh, that's right, you don't know! Oy, let me start at the beginning…"

And with that, Fran sat Maxwell down and began her story of how she was responsible for giving Niles, CC, and herself the greatest gift of all: a happy ending.

_The End_


End file.
